(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronic systems and more particularly to electronics systems that may be implemented with at least one subsystem either integral with at least another portion of the system or separable from another portion of the system.
(2) Description of the Related Art
One of the biggest mechanical design challenges in modern telecommunication systems is to create a multi-variant system where the mechanical core of the system can be re-used and the variants are created with subtle, low-cost changes. Obtaining such a goal could decrease time to market, as well as cost and complexity for multi-function systems.
As one example, the demand for small edge service routers is on the rise, and finding an efficient technique for meeting the requirements of different customers is a growing challenge. Some customers want a low-cost, fixed-port, inflexible solution, whereas other customers want a medium-cost, fully modular (e.g., replaceable I/O modules), flexible solution. Typically, meeting such diverse requirements would require two completely different mechanical and electrical designs, including one printed circuit board (PCB) for the fixed port solution and another PCB for the modular port solution. However, use of different designs for different variants of a product can greatly complicate design, production, testing, and product support. Thus, a solution is needed to minimize complexity while being able to provide a range of product variants.
Also, if a modular port solution is to be provided, its utility, practicality, and convenience would be enhanced if it were able to be configured (e.g., installed in an initial configuration or reconfigured) without the need for special parts and/or disturbance to modules not involved in the configuration. For example, two one-port modules were to be replaced by one two-port module, it would be desirable to avoid a need to install or remove special parts. Thus, a solution is needed that allows simple configuration to support several implementations.
The use of the same reference symbols in different drawings indicates similar or identical items.